VolunteerBadge Academy
Free, interactive courses for nonprofits and volunteers — child & elder safety, leadership, fundraising, AI, and more — with a shareable certificate when you finish.
Most Popular Courses
Mandated Reporter Training
Recognize abuse and neglect, meet the reasonable-suspicion standard, and report the right way — for children and vulnerable adults.
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Human Trafficking Awareness for Volunteers
See what hides in plain sight — recognize the signs of trafficking in the people you serve, and report the right way, safely.
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Safe Boundaries for Volunteers
Physical, emotional, and digital boundaries that protect the people you serve — and protect you.
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Mental Health First Aid for Volunteers
Recognize emotional distress, ask about suicide with confidence, and warmly connect people to professional help — for the people you serve and your own team.
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Preventing Elder Financial Exploitation
Recognize how older adults are financially exploited — by scammers and by trusted insiders — and respond with dignity and the right report.
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Bloodborne Pathogens for Volunteers
Understand HBV, HCV, and HIV, treat all blood as infectious, protect yourself with universal precautions and PPE, and know what to do after an exposure.
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Volunteer Driver Safety
Get the people you serve there and back safely — phones away, everyone buckled, a safe gap ahead, and a plan when things go wrong.
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Child Abuse Prevention Awareness
Recognize abuse, set safe boundaries, and protect the children your organization serves.
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Trauma-Informed Care for Youth Volunteers
See the child behind the behavior — and respond in ways that build safety and trust.
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Positive Behavior Guidance & De-escalation
Set clear limits with warmth, reinforce the good, and calm conflict before it escalates.
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Communicating & Connecting with Kids
Get on their level, listen like it matters, and build the trust that makes everything else work.
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Inclusion & Kids with Disabilities
Every child belongs. Learn the language, etiquette, and simple adjustments that let every kid take part.
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Elder Abuse Prevention Awareness
Recognize, prevent, and respond to the abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older adults.
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Developing Patience with Children
Stay calm, respond with intention, and build the patience that helps children thrive.
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Patience & Compassion with Older Adults
Serve older adults with patience, dignity, and genuine connection.
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Reducing Senior Isolation
A friendly visit can change a life. Learn to be the consistent, caring presence an isolated older adult needs.
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Communicating with Older Adults
Skip the baby talk. Learn to communicate with older adults clearly, respectfully, and as the capable adults they are.
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Dementia & Alzheimer’s Awareness for Volunteers
Understand dementia and connect with compassion, patience, and confidence.
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Volunteer Coordinator Certification
Master the full volunteer lifecycle — from planning roles to measuring impact — and earn your certificate.
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Volunteer Recruitment & Retention
Fill your roster with the right people — and keep them coming back year after year.
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Volunteer Screening Fundamentals
Build one consistent, fair, defensible screening process — and use it for every volunteer.
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Board Member Essentials
Serve with confidence — the legal duties, oversight, and rhythms every nonprofit board member needs.
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Grant Writing 101
Find the right funders, write a proposal they can say yes to, and build relationships that fund you again.
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AI for Nonprofit Leaders
Use ChatGPT and other AI tools to do more with less — without putting your donors, mission, or reputation at risk.
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Church Volunteer Safety
Build a safe ministry — protect the children, youth, and people your church serves.
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Cybersecurity for Nonprofits
Protect your mission, your money, and your donors’ data — no IT degree required.
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Building a Volunteer Program from Scratch
Go from "we could use some help" to a real volunteer program — roles, policies, screening, recruitment, and impact you can prove.
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Browse by category
Explore 219+ free courses across every part of running a volunteer program.
Volunteer Essentials
Core skills every volunteer should have — from etiquette to empathy.
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Child & Youth Safety
Protect the children and teens your programs serve.
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Church Volunteer Training
Equip and protect the volunteers who power your ministry.
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Volunteer Leadership
Lead, motivate, and retain high-performing volunteer teams.
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Nonprofit Leadership
Run a stronger, safer, better-managed organization.
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Volunteer Coordinator Certification
Master the full volunteer lifecycle — recruit to retain.
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Fundraising
Raise more for your mission, from grants to year-end giving.
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Board Member Academy
Govern with confidence — duties, finances, and strategy.
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Safety & Compliance
Reduce risk, prevent harm, and stay compliant.
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Event Volunteer Training
Run safe, smooth events with confident volunteers.
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Camp Volunteer Training
Free, camp-specific training for the counselors and helpers who run youth camps.
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Volunteer Training by Sector
Role-ready training for the sector you serve — food banks, shelters, hospitals, animal rescue, disaster relief, and more.
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Mission Trip Preparation
Country-by-country cultural, language and safety preparation for short-term mission teams — reviewed and updated every month against current travel advisories and conditions.
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AI for Nonprofits
Do more with less using AI — responsibly.
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VolunteerBadge Certifications
Screening and safe-program credentials, straight from the source.
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Ready to screen your volunteers?
VolunteerBadge runs FCRA-compliant background checks for just $5 — with identity verification built in. No monthly fees, no contracts.
Start screening for $5